When I picture the Colonial United States, I see New England with its small square wooden houses, kitchen gardens, and fruit and nut trees. The original British colonists, of the 1600’s, built medieval style timber-frame homes in the English tradition. The colonists used whatever materials they could find. Typically, the house called “Saltbox Colonial” was wood frame with a sloping, shed-like roof to cast off winter snow. Each home was surrounded by a yard with the kitchen garden as the centerpiece.
The colony settlers arrived in the New World in search of good, arable farmland. The kitchen garden plot represented a reliable supply of food for the family. To the early Americans, household security and economic independence were often an elusive dream for them in the Old World.
As the United States changed from an agrarian republic to an industrialized society in the 19th century, kitchen gardens lost their prominence in the household economy. The kitchen garden has remained an important element in the American home culture. During the First and Second World Wars “Victory gardens” became a mainstay in a time of food rationing. Now the kitchen garden has remerged as a symbol of the “good life,” the American work ethic and a new appreciation for heirloom vegetables and biodiversity.
Carole Turner, in her book Kitchen Gardens: Beyond the Vegetable Patch (2001) tells us the difference between a vegetable garden and kitchen garden is that "a kitchen garden has style." She advocates that the garden can be made in a variety of styles and patterns, which includes plenty of flowers among the edibles. Today’s kitchen garden can be laid out as a thing of beauty where compatible planting creates greater yield while limiting pesticide use.
The 17th Century Colonial kitchen garden was raised, rectangular gardens found just outside the home. Many of the garden seeds and sprouts were brought from the Old World. The beds were intensely cultivated and narrow enough to be tended from either side. The garden was filled with plants for medicine, food and seasoning where each plant was valued for its usefulness. Many flowers and herbs, such as Nasturtium and Calendula, are also found in today’s kitchen garden.
The colonial household food was processed from raw goods that the colonists themselves manufactured. Colonial gardens during this time were an important source of fruits and vegetables as well as staple items such as grain, medicinal and culinary herbs and honey from bees, molasses from sugar cane or sugar beets or syrup from maple trees.
Colonial gardeners chose herbs and flowers such as lavender, pinks, roses, violets, rosemary, sweet marjoram, mint and sage as well as vegetables such as beans, peas, squash, cabbage and pumpkins, root vegetables such as carrots, potatoes and onions and native grapes such as muscadine. Often a separate section of the garden was set-aside as an orchard.
The following medicinal plants were often found in the kitchen garden.
Horehound, Marrubium vulgare, is used as expectorants and tonics. It is considered remedy for chronic cough, asthma, and some cases of consumption.
Angelica, Angelica archangelica. A tea can be made from the dried young leaves, roots, seeds and stems, and used to aid in bronchial problems, to relieve colds and to calm the nerves. The stalks can be chewed to help in digestion. The stems can be boiled and used as flavorings for Christmas puddings, candies and other desserts. An extract called Angelica is made from the roots and seeds and is used to flavor liqueurs such as Benedictine.
Winter Savory, Satureia Montana, and Summer Savory were used medicinally as a diuretic, antiseptic and to relieve the pain of bee and wasp stings. Savory is also used as a flavoring for pork, soups, stuffing and beans, and to mask unpleasant odors of vegetables such as cabbage.
Lady's Mantle, Alchemilla vulgaris. The flowering tops were used medicinally by the colonists for women's complaints and the dried leaves, which contain tannin, were used to stop bleeding.
Sage, Salvia officinalis. In ancient times, sage was thought to improve mental disorders, digestion and to aid in lengthening life and as an aid in conception. Native Americans mixed sage with bear grease to make a salve to treat sore throats and to help with snakebites.
Hyssop, Hyssopus officinalis, was considered a sacred herb and was prescribed to aid in pleurisy, bronchitis, and as a gargle for sore throats and as an aid in rheumatism. The ground leaves have a camphor-like scent and were made into poultices to help heal wounds, while the essential oil is used for flavoring liqueurs, in bitters and in perfumes.
Calendula, Pot marigold, Calendula officinalis. Calendulas relieve scorpion bites, to stop bleeding and promote healing. An ointment made from the blossoms was used as a dressing for wounds, and to relieve the pain from bee and wasp stings. It was also useful in curing various ailments such as fevers and digestive problems. The blossoms may be used for food coloring. The petals can be added to salads, or for flavoring in soups, dumplings, puddings and wine.
Oregano, Wild Marjoram, Originanum vulgare has been used to treat upset stomach, consumption, scurvy, jaundice, and to relieve toothaches, swellings and headaches.
Nasturtium, Indian Cress, Tropaeolum majus leaves and flowers have a peppery flavor and are eaten in salads. The leaves are most tender before flowering. The pickled flower buds could be used as a substitute for capers.
Borage, Bee Bread, Borago officinalis. The leaves were used to give a feeling of well-being and a source of courage and an infusion of borage flowers could be used for fevers, bronchitis, and diarrhea and as diuretic. The fresh flowers can be candied or floated in drinks.
Tansy, Fernleaf Tansy, Tanacetum vulgare, Tanacetum crispum. Fernleaf Tansy is useful for the treatment of round worms and as an aid to digestion. Tansy was often hung in medieval England and colonial kitchens to repel mosquitoes, flies and ants.
Spearmint, Mentha spicata. The mints have been used since early times to purify the breath and used in bath water as a general restorative. Tea from spearmint relieves nausea and induced sweating. The oil from the spearmint was used in making spearmint gum, candy and toothpaste.
Violet, Sweet Violet, viola odorata. The violet, one of the most fragrant flowers, has been used in potpourris and sachets to induce sleep and moderate anger. The oil is used in making perfumes. The flowers can be candied, used to decorate cakes, or floated in drinks.
Clove Pink, Gilly flower, Border Carnation, Dianthus caryophyllus. The attractive flowers can be used to flavor wine and ale, syrups, sauces, jams, and as a substitute for cloves in potpourri.
Today designing a colonial period garden is popular among gardeners who want to preserve heritage plants and enjoy the art of gardening. Gardeners who plant colonial gardens not only supply food for their table but also recreate a bit of history.
Edible landscaping is a technique of using vegetables, herbs and flowers in the garden to perform the multiple purposes for food, flavor and ornamental appearance. Mixing edible crops with grouping veggies, herbs and flowers creates interesting textures and colors in the garden. Not only do mixing vegetables and herbs with flowers create year-round interest, companion planting can repel pests. Certain vegetables, such as onions can help deter aphid attacks on plants like roses, marigolds have the same effect and work well with tomato plants fending off snails, while petunias with beans can repel bean beetles.
Herbs mixed with vegetables and flowers can increase garden produce. Flowers increase nectar production that attracts beneficial insects and pollinators. Like the early colonists, today’s gardener needs to choose a mix of plants that are locally available and hardy specimens. We have accounts of the plantings in colonial gardens from letters, published diaries and from historical preservation societies.
Other excellent plants for today’s kitchen garden include: aloe vera, marshmallow, burdock, pot marigold, gotu kola, chamomile, globe artichoke, wild yam, siberian ginseng, or yellow gentian. The careful gardener researches the soil conditions, light requirements, available water, and growing session length before choosing plants for the kitchen garden.
https://www.nps.gov/rowi/learn/historyculture/colonial-kitchen-garden.htm
http://exhibits.mannlib.cornell.edu/kitchengardens/intro.htm
http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/special/spaces/colonial-garden-plants.htm
http://www.ehow.com/how_7632910_plant-colonial-garden.html
http://arnoldia.arboretum.harvard.edu/pdf/articles/1735.pdf
http://theimperfectgardener.com/colonial-gardeners-were-a-resourceful-bunch/
http://odyb.net/discoveries/27-medicinal-plants-worth-your-garden-space/
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